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A 41-year-old Oxford man was arrested Feb. 25 after he allegedly attempted to infect a child with hepatitis C during a domestic disturbance, according to Izard County Sheriff Tate Lawrence.

James Filchak was arrested on three charges of endangering the welfare of a minor and three charges of third-degree domestic battery. Filchak was taken to the Izard County jail where he was held in lieu of a $5,000 bond.

Izard County deputies were called to an Oxford home when a 12-year-old boy reported Filchak had reportedly beaten his mother. The woman appeared "visibly upset" and told deputies Filchak had hit her.

As deputies investigated they learned Filchak also struck a girl, leaving marks on her face and arms, and later had turned his attention to a male child, throwing a coffee can at the boy and missing. Filchak then reportedly slapped the boy on the back of the head.

At some point, Filchak — known to have hepatitis C, according to Lawrence — took blood from a small scratch on his arm and attempted to put the blood into one of the children's mouths.

When deputies informed Filchak he was under arrest, he reportedly refused to cooperate and "locked" his body in a seated position. Deputies were able to handcuff Filchak, place him in a patrol car and take him to jail.

While Filchak was arrested on misdemeanor charges, a prosecutor could decide to upgrade the charges based on the information discovered during the investigation. If a person knows they have an infectious disease, and they knowingly attempt to infect someone else, they are often charged with a felony.